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I think festivals are the death of art, in a weird way. I know everyone has started thinking that’s the way you see bands now, but I’ve always said bands are the least important part of a festival. What’s important is standing around and seeing who you live with and what your world is why you’re there. Bands have always been a side issue to that, but now more so. And everybody is compromised as a result. The audience are, and the bands are because they get short time slots and no sound check. - Jason Pierce http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4145686-i-think-festivals-are-the-death-of-art-dis-meets-jason-pierce-from-spiritualized

I wrote a column for the Sunday Times about this a while back. It seems crazy that a lot of acts who haven't quite worked out their live show are rushed onstage with no real lightning and often quite bad sound (for at least the first three songs, which is pretty much when people wander off).

Has seeing a band at a festival ever put you off them or just been a crushing disappointment? And is Jason Pierce right, are festivals even about The Music?

I was thinking about the time I saw Japandroids this summer, and I was so excited to see them, but for some reason the sound guy decided that everything needed enough reverb to make it sound like the band were playing down a well, beneath a cathedral, with headphones that had some insane tape delay emulator... pretty sure the first note of their set was still playing 3days after they walked off stage.

the long blondes
tilly and the wall
deus
elbow
all at electric picnic 2006 (had seen elbow before way back when they supported new order in 2001 but this was the first time since then & totally got me back into them)

art brut
the arcade fire (had heard the album, but not seen them live)
micah p hinson
nuovelle vague
all at primavera 2005
with a negative at the same festival
tortoise - just a really dull set

amount of decent acts i got into as a result of festivals offsets any bad experience i've had. End of the Road Festival is good for this.

Generally, if i like bands recorded output, i'd give them a second chance after a bad festival show.

Some band's i've only enjoyed at festivals: 45 mins-1 hour set, less pressure to enjoy yourself, sometimes a fun crowd. Razorlight at the festival republic stage before the first album came out comes immediately to mind.

Supersonic is consistently brilliant in terms of the organisation, the tight scheduling, the seeming lack of clashing acts of similar nature, no technical problems that I have seen, spot-on start times, great lighting and visuals, brilliant staffing, normal pricing, great vibe. I've discovered loads of great stuff in the last four years I have been.

there are festivals with great sound and where bands get decent set times and are done right in that regard.
still though, festivals are always going to be more about the social factor and having 12 bands on in a day does feel like a bit of a conveyor belt.

Their career was on a steep upward trajectory until the moment they graced the main stage. The voice was flat, the guitars were barely audible and the rhythm section had the levels all wrong. 20 minutes in and the band were so fucked off that they stormed off stage. The set was hailed as their 'make or break' moment...they disbanded shortly afterwards.

you can experience them more casually (stuff to look at, can have conversations, feeling positive generally) which can make it easier to appreciate them if you don't know their songs. I've stumbled across and got into a fair few bands from festival sets.

I've discovered some awesome acts by wandering around Glastonbury, for example. My point was more that (from my experience at least) there are a higher proportion of people at the big festivals who are only casually interested in the music, which was JP's main complaint.

Great sounding music is a very big part of it, but at the end of the day it ultimately play second fiddle to people wanting to simply have a good time. Why have it any other way? Music festivals are more a sampling thing anyways & the idea of a festival where everyone is sat there analysing every single last minute of it depresses me greatly.